Irish Wake

5 of 5 stars. A collection of interconnected short stories about a range of "ordinary folks," including car detailers,soldiers and teachers., December 14, 2011 by Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) This review is from: Irish Wake: In Loving Memory of Us All (Paperback). James Freeman, a longtime friend and colleague of mine at Bucks County Community College, first caught my reading attention with ISHI'S JOURNEY FROM THE CENTER TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD . . . since then, I've enjoyed many of his other works of fiction.His latest effort, IRISH WAKE: IN LOVING MEMORY OF US (PublishAmerica) might well be my favorite . . . it's a collection of interconnected shorts stories about a range of "ordinary folks," including car detailers, hospice volunteers, soldiers and teachers.I felt a connection for virtually all of them because they seemed so real . . . in fact, one character who appears in more than one story--Michael Forbes--had me nodding as I read about his experiences with a carpet cleaner . . . it was almost as if I was there with him.Another story, "Mango Salsa, "This is life; life is this" had me rooting for the two characters who meet in a bar . . . their back-and-forth conversation got me from the beginning, particularly this one passage:* He felt the tipping-point tilt first one way. "Tomorrows have a way of turning into yesterdays," Jack said.And then the other, better way."I want all my tomorrows to turn into todays spent with you," she said.If you're a fan of well-written fiction, you'll want to get hold of IRISH WAKE.

I've long been a fan of James Freeman's fiction, having read his novels "Parade of Days" and "Never the Same River Twice." I came to this new collection of stories with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. Freeman is a gifted writer and storyteller, digging deep beneath the surface of contemporary America to find what matters. "Irish Wake" tells stories of the commonplace, where common men and women must make extraordinary decisions, revealing the goodness and humanity that connect us all. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.